SHE DANCED ALONE IN THE EMPTY BALLROOM AFTER MIDNIGHT-UNAWARE THE DUKE WAS WATCHING

who had spent 40 years without smiling, smiled all evening.

The ballroom at Marchwood was smaller than the ballroom at Ashenford. It had lower ceilings, warmer wood, and windows that looked out over a wide green lawn where sheep grazed in the day.

The candles burned, the violins played, the tenants danced, and their children ran between their legs. continue reading …